There are lots of PfC opportunities coming up, including….. a Student Board Members Development webinar; a Trustee Board and Charitable Status meeting; the newly established SA Staff Peer Development Network; a National PfC Conference; plus two projects focused on resources – development of a new HR and Employment resource, as well as a project to develop a resource hub as part of the legacy of PfC. Read on for more details……
Upcoming Events
Student Board Members Development Webinars
Partnerships for Change and the College Development Network are undertaking a range of activities which will investigate the unique role of the college student board member, the benefits this member can offer to the board, and how board members can help break down the barriers and challenges they face. This will comprise of a series of articles in the Regional Governance newsletter, two webinars to gather board member experiences, and at least one development day at which all board members will have an opportunity to explore how student members can be supported to deliver their full potential.
See the PfC webpages to access the articles and other information.
We had planned to run the first webinar on Wednesday 26March 2014, inviting student board members to share their experiences with fellow student board members and exchange hints and tips. Unfortunately we didn’t have sufficient numbers to run this webinar as planned. Instead, we held a conference call which generated some very useful information on the experience of student board members in their role, and ideas for how future board members can be supported and developed. This will be fed in to the next events.
The second webinar, on Thursday 24th April 2014, is for all non-student board members - inviting them to share challenges and causes along with good practice. See the CDN website for further information and to register: http://events.collegedevelopmentnetwork.ac.uk/events/show/4891
New to webinars? ....there’s an introductory factsheet available via the above page. In addition, a member of the Webinar Team will send you guidelines and joining instructions prior to the session.
Trustee Boards and Charitable Status
There is a high degree of interest in the opportunities offered by Trustee Boards. We will hold a meeting on 1st May 2014 for all regions interested in attending, which will explore these benefits in more detail, the steps involved in setting up and maintaining a trustee board, and their potential role in college students’ associations. You can register here via the sparqs website.
Students’ Association Staff Peer Development Network
An initial meeting was held on 13th March 2014 of a new college students’ association staff network. The network will enable students’ association staff to share learning and good practice and to access NUS development resources and support. A second meeting will be held soon.
See the PfC webpages for further information about the first meeting, resources available, next steps and how to join the network.
National Student and Staff Conference
To mark the end of the PfC project, and to look forward to where college students’ associations will go next, we plan to hold a second officer and staff conference. This is tentatively scheduled for 14th August 2014..... so save the date!
Upcoming Projects
HR Association Staff and Sabbatical Resource
With the increase in paid officers and association staff over the past year, a number of regions have raised the need for effective guidance on HR and employment. We have therefore engaged a Business Law Firm to explore and clarify the issues around sabbatical officers’ employment status, and to develop model guidance, structures, and documentation which can help colleges ensure that officers and students’ association staff receive necessary performance management, while also preserving the students’ association’s political autonomy.
We intend to hold two to three focus groups with college HR professionals, students’ association staff and officers, to explore the need in more detail and identify issues and opportunities.
Students’ Association Development: Resource Hub
As part of the legacy of the PfC project we aim to develop a centralised online hub or framework linking all the resources which have been produced for this project, which can be used by student officers, SA staff, and college staff to develop and run their students’ association. We will also be producing new resources to fill identified gaps - for example, the HR resource will be included in this.
For further information on any of the above contact Kate Byford, Partnerships for Change Coordinator: kate.byford@nus-scotland.org.uk
